I am not making an accusation, just saying there are people like this out there...

Ramsey book gets an update

By Christopher Anderson Camera Staff Writer

John and Patsy Ramsey are urging police to investigate a possible link between their daughter's unsolved homicide and a Douglas County man accused of using a stun gun while attacking a 16-year-old girl. The couple's statement comes from an updated chapter in their book, "The Death of Innocence," now out in paperback. The couple also said that they were "set up" by Boulder police Chief Mark Beckner during interviews with police and prosecutors in August. A frustrated Beckner said he will not help the Ramseys' "public relations" bid by commenting on the book or the Douglas County case. "It just seems to add further fuel to the fire, and I am just tired of it," he said. In their updated chapter, "Another Year Goes By," the Ramseys point to the case against Steven McGonigle, although they did not use his name. Michael Knight, a spokesman for the Douglas County District Attorney's Office, said there is no evidence that ties McGonigle to the Boulder crime. "Nothing in the case connects him anywhere but what we have got him on," Knight said. He also said his office had not been contacted by the Boulder Police Department. Douglas County prosecutors allege in court records that McGonigle entered the Highlands Ranch home of a 16-year-old girl and attacked her with a stun gun before attempting to sexually assault and kill her. The attack was interrupted by an aunt. During a search of McGonigle's Highlands Ranch home , investigators found a box with gray tape on it. Inside the box they found a black handgun, a black utility knife, another knife taped inside the lid, a plastic bag with gloves inside, about 30 feet of yellow rope, handcuffs, pantyhose and a stun gun, according to court records. "This known criminal needs to be seriously considered as a suspect in the murder of JonBenét because of the stun gun if for no other reason," John Ramsey wrote. "Based on previous performance, we can only assume that the Boulder police will do all they can to refute any possible connection. I hope we are wrong." The Ramseys said they believe her killer used a stun gun to subdue their daughter, although police have raised doubts about that possibility. Ollie Gray, an investigator working for the Ramseys, said the case is similar to the December 1996 beating and strangulation death of JonBenét, who was found with a white cord around her neck and wrists and black duct tape across her mouth. Gray said he has not found anything that definitively links the two cases, but said Boulder police have better access to information and should be actively working with Douglas County investigators. He said the information that he has shows that different stun guns were used in each case, but said he still believes it is possible that one attacker could be involved in both incidents. McGonigle was ordered at a Dec. 11 court hearing to give blood and hair samples for DNA testing. Beckner would not comment on whether he would order a comparison to DNA found at the Ramsey crime scene. In reference to August interviews with police and prosecutors in the Atlanta office of their attorney, Lin Wood, the Ramseys said they felt they had answered all questions, but were surprised when Beckner said after the meeting they had not. "As Patsy, Lin, and I were saying goodbye to Chief Mark Beckner, he made a casual, yet seemingly preplanned comment: 'Well, we actually had a lot of questions that we didn't get answered,'" John Ramsey wrote. "Wham! We were being set up!" The Ramseys said they were not surprised to see headlines the next morning saying they were uncooperative. The Ramseys also point to a September 1997 attack on a Boulder girl that police already have stated they do not think is connected to the Ramseys. Scripps Howard News Service contributed to this report. January 10, 2001